Eight dead in explosion at chemical factory in Maharashtra

Mumbai/Palghar, January 11

At least eight persons were killed in a huge explosion at a chemical factory at Boisar in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Saturday evening, a police official said.

Boisar is over 100 km from Mumbai.

The under-construction plant of Ank Pharma, where the explosion took place, is located in a Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area at Kolwade village, the official said.

The blast, which took place during the testing of some chemicals around 7.20 pm, was so huge that it was heard within a 15-km radius, and window panes of some houses in the surrounding area shattered, he said.

While eight persons were killed in the explosion, the injured were being extricated from debris, the official said.

A fire started after the blast but it was put down, he added. — PTI